


Kitten Cuddles

by Saiya_tina



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Bruce Is a Good Bro, Gen, tony needs a kitten
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-24
Updated: 2015-04-24
Packaged: 2018-03-25 13:17:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3811933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Saiya_tina/pseuds/Saiya_tina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bruce gives Tony a kitten and stumbles upon the cutest sight ever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kitten Cuddles

When Bruce found the tiny tabby in an old cardboard box on his way back from the tea shop that sold a particular brand of jasmine tea that he found soothing, he had planned to give it to the shelter. Then, the grey kitten looked up at him with such a sad look in its big green eyes that Bruce was scooping him and placing him in his coat pocket for warmth in a second. It wasn’t until he was back at the Tower that he realized he had been so focused on the purring bundle of fur that he’d completely passed over the shelter. He vowed to put away the groceries and head to the shelter, but then he placed the kitten on the kitchen counter as he put them away and then turned back to see it flat on its back, asleep. Bruce felt his heart melt and he could have sword the Hulk went “KITTY!” in his mind. He let out a resigned sigh, knowing that he wouldn’t be able to give away the kitten now. He wondered if there was anyone who could care for it in the Tower. Steve and Natasha didn’t like cats, Clint was afraid of them, Thor would squish it and Bruce didn’t trust himself around it. He wanted to give the cat to someone who would take care of it, who would pamper and spoil it-

“Bruuuuciieeeee!” a loud voice sang as the owner nearly skipped into the kitchen, probably on a high from a successful experiment. Bruce smiled as he found the perfect person for the kitten as Tony made his way to the coffee machine and filled a cup.

“Got the repulsors to load and fire faster,” Tony said, taking a scalding sip, “it wasn’t easy to do it without compromising the power, but I managed it because I’m a genius and there is no one as awesome as I am because I’m- a cat?”

“You’re a cat?” Bruce asked with amusement as Tony finally registered the sleeping kitten on the counter and was eyeing it like it was an alien. He extended one finger to poke it in its exposed belly and then nearly jumped with the cat lazily batted at him. He did so again with a curious expression to receive the same result.

“Bruce. Brucie. Brucie-Boo. Why is there a furball on my kitchen counter?” Tony asked, poking it again.

“It’s a kitten Tony,” Bruce said, “I found him in a cardboard box and brought him back. He’s yours.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Wait, WHAT?!” Tony gave him an incredulous expression. He ceased in poking the cat, who opened its eyes to see why the playing had stopped, “No, no, no, I can’t have a cat! He’ll get fur on everything and then I’ll choke on it and Dummy’ll choke on it and then we’d both die!”

“That’s not how cat hair works,” Bruce pointed out mildly, “You don’t have an allergy, you can keep him out of your lab and he’s too small to shed enough fur to choke you. You’ll be fine.”

“Bruce, I can’t take care of myself!” Tony gave him a helpless look and then looked down on the kitten that was staring at him with wide eyes, “How do you expect me to care for him? I’ll forget to feed him or I’ll step on him or-”

“Jarvis will remind you to feed him,” Bruce interrupted, “Your cleaning staff can take care of his litter box and stuff. Cats are very independent creatures Tony. You don’t need to be around him all the time. He’ll just give you some company when you want it.”

“I have you for company, don’t I?” Tony pouted.

“He also won’t turn into a green rage monster if you piss him off,” Bruce added dryly. When Tony still didn’t look convinced, Bruce sighed. “If I take him back to the shelter, they’ll most likely put him to sleep. He looks too small and fragile to survive long in that environment, but if you’re sure-”

“Damn you, Banner,” Tony groused, one finger going out to cautiously stroke the kitten’s head, more joining as the kitten closed his eyes contently and purred, “You know I can’t resist small, fuzzy, defenseless beings.”

“Isn’t that why you took me home?” Bruce joked back.

“There’s nothing defenseless about you,” Tony gave him a small smile before looking back at the kitten, “I can do this.”

Dl

Bruce regretted giving him the kitten.

Tony spent most of his time complaining how it followed him everywhere, would mew incessantly if he locked it out of the lab, climb over everything if it got in, trip him over at times or sit on his notes and refuse to get up. Tony had named the cat “Fuzzball” after it shed white fur on his black tanktop. Any hope Bruce had that the name was affectionate was dashed talked about the kitten like it was the most disgusting thing ever.

After another night of hearing Tony scream expletives at the kitten one night, Bruce had enough. He resolved to take the cat and find someone else to adopt it. He was sure there was someone who’d be willing to adopt a cute kitten. Tony’s relationship with the cat was beginning to remind him of his father and how he constantly found fault in him. He knew it was irrational to feel that way, especially since Tony was nothing like his father, but he couldn’t help it. Plus, if Tony didn’t like the cat, he’d probably be thankful that it went to a better home.

Bruce woke up at his usual time of 6 a.m and used the early morning light to try and find the kitten. It wasn’t in any of its usual places: the cat bed was empty, the food bowl was untouched, the space under the couch was unoccupied and he knew it wasn’t in the lab. That only left Tony’s room.

Bruce tip-toed his way to Tony’s bed room and silently opened the door. Tony’s blind were opaque, letting in some sunlight without it being blinding. Tony himself was asleep, face half buried in the pillow, blankets tangled around him, some trailing to the floor. Bruce couldn’t help but smile at the peaceful look on the normally animate man’s face. It was nice to know there were some times when Tony could relax completely.

He scanned the room, looking for the small kitten and his eyes fell on the small bundle of fur, moving on stubby legs as it attempted to climb up the blanket to Tony’s bed. Bruce had to watch the adorable sight of the tiny cat determinedly making its way up the blanket, occasionally losing its grip and tumbling back down. Finally, it reached the apex of its climb and its tail came up like a periscope as it walked along the blanket, moving up Tony’s body towards his face. At this point, Bruce felt he should step in and scoop the cat up, but he was curious to see how this would work out.

The cat finally reached its destination and one paw came to pat Tony’s cheek. Bruce bit back a smile as the kitten nuzzled the part of Tony’s face that wasn’t buried in the pillow. It’s paws batted at Tony’s lips and nose and its nose nudged his jaw as it tried to wake him up. Bruce heard Tony’s breathing pattern change and braced himself in case Tony woke up angry. Instead, he witnessed a miracle.

Tony’s lips curved up into a smile and one hand sleepily came up to wrap around the tiny kitten’s body. Without opening his eyes, he picked it up and placed it in the small space between his chin and chest, the kitten’s head tucking under his jaw. His fingers lazily sifted through the soft fur on the kitten’s stomach, stroking it with a care he normally reserved for delicate machinery. The kitten’s head tilted up, whiskers brushing Tony’s chin, making the man let out a muffled giggle. Tony’s eyes never opened and his fingers never stopped their gentle, stroking motions. The kitten began to purr and soon, Bruce knew it was just as sleepy as its owner. Bruce closed the door once Tony and the kitten fell asleep, heading back to his own room.

He had made the right choice.

**Author's Note:**

> Just nothing but kitten-y fluff. Tony + kitten = something Marvel needs to get on.


End file.
